I happen to LOVE North Park! I’m also fond of South Park, University Heights, and Golden Hills. I truly believe these neighborhoods are the future “favorite picks” for home buyers! Because I sell Residential Real Estate I am fortunate enough to explore areas of San Diego aside from coastal where I live. I am empowered to be able to actually recommend to clients the areas that I believe are “on fire” (not literally)!! Great areas to purchase a home under that 1 million dollar price range that it taking over many desired markets in our city. Carlsbad is still hanging in there with good homes for under 1 million, North Parks younger and slightly “less urban” zip codes. Carlsbad with its four zips of planned communities with one coastal area offers great family homes with fabulous schools. It is truly appreciated by young families or retirees lucky enough to gobble up the single level homes. But if you are urban minded! Then areas of North and South Park are where to go!!!

I’m interested in the “future of North Park” because I think its a great area but also as a zip code to greatly promote to buyers. Voted in 2012 as one of America’s HIPPEST neighborhoods by Forbes Magazine the years have done nothing but make it “hipper”. The community of 45,728 is expected to grow to 70,000 in the next 20 years according to City documents. This does make a community cringe! The North Park Community Planning Committee is trying hard to encourage affordable housing as well as plan for that crop of “millennials” that is always talked about. The committee hopes that this buying demographic will “not have cars” and my thoughts are that I have many friends in that age group and they all have cars. Unless they can move the beaches, the bay, the shopping malls etc. its going to be good luck to that parameter. YES we all Uber and Lyft these days but not to go to work or to spend a day at the beach! Planning to build future housing developments without appropriate parking is a “pipe” dream. Developers have to minimize their profit and any new developments will have to include parking garages or underground parking like downtown. The rumors of studios or single room buildings as builders know this zip code brings in top dollar – but parking in this area already congested is a MUST!

Regardless of everything these are amazing neighborhoods where you still feel that community spirit. Where individual business owners can still open a coffee shop and not be surrounded by Starbucks. Where you can walk down 30th street on a warm night and see restaurants, breweries, taverns full of customers spilling out to sidewalks and mingling with other customers. I look forward to the future of North Park continuing to offer what I think is a “very special” slice of our city!